Snape the Younger

Mad Eye Moody stared down at the sallow-skinned wizard who had been given so much Veritaserum it was a wonder he was not babbling everything he had ever known no matter how personal and private. Some of the things they had managed to get out of him were amazing enough but irrelevant to the present crisis. No matter how they tried to word it, Severus Snape had not been involved in the deaths of the Potters nor had he been involved in the torture of the Longbottoms. In fact, just as Dumbledore had claimed, he had actually been instrumental in warning the headmaster and in protecting the baby, young Neville. Sighing deeply, he spelled the chains away and grabbed a handful of greasy black hair to pull him to his feet, then discovered he was going to have to change his grip or else grow another foot to make that ploy effective.

"You're lucky, Laddie; Albus Dumbledore has vouched for you before the Wizengamot. He claims you were a spy and that your testimony must be suppressed in case anyone tries to come after you for revenge. Personally, I don't think it would be a bad thing to let someone finish you off in a revenge killing, but then personal is never often professional, is it?"

"Rarely," Severus replied softly, almost friendly. "When it becomes personal, your professional detachment goes by the board and you make stupid mistakes. Best to always keep it professional, that way you don't get hurt too often."

Pausing, Moody had to smile grimly, the lad might be young and a Dark Wizard - and he would have bet that he was a vampire if he hadn't cast the charms and seen the results for himself - but he was right. Sighing deeply, Moody hauled the skinny arm and made the tall, gaunt man follow him out to where Albus Dumbledore waited to collect him and take him back to the school.

~~*~~

The Wizengamot also cleared Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy of conspiring to raise a Dark Lord, supporting the destruction of the Wizarding World and treason against the forces of Light. Both had been tested and proven positive to the influence of the Imperius Curse, a very potent and long lasting variety. Even putting both Malfoys under Veritaserum had only proven their case even further. The bastards had slipped the net and Family Malfoy would live to rise another day, curse them!

~~*~~

Remus Lupin sat dry-eyed and unmoving, barely breathing and not daring to do more than blink occasionally.

James and Lily were dead, unbelievable!

Peter was dead, incredible!

Sirius was in Azkaban, sentenced to life without parole, oh god, unbearable!

Another shiver coursed through his body and he keened high and wild.

While he had been trapped in the cellar of the house he and Sirius had shared, his husband had been out killing his best friends and leaving their only child an injured and grieving orphan. Then, to compound his sins, Sirius had hunted down the one person who must have witnessed his murderous betrayal and had blasted him to a thin and soggy vapour, apart from a single finger that had been left behind in mute testimony to his passing. Gods, of all people, why Peter, a more harmless and inoffensive wizard there never was. Then to simply laugh hysterically when the Aurors arrived to arrest him was just typical of Sirius Black!

And what had Moony done? Nothing! On the one day when he could have protected James and Lily, he had been useless! A stupid fucking lycanthrope, gnawing on his own flesh and howling at the moon!

A gasp of sheer misery burst from his throat and he threw his head back howling at the ceiling without a care for how the animalistic sound affected the neighbours. Remus Lupin was alone, a wolf without a pack and deserted by all, without hope and hopeless. He had the right to mourn.

~~*~~

Severus sat silently in his rooms in the dungeons of Hogwarts, his head cradled in his hands. He sighed and sat wondering how he was going to survive for the rest of his life, rejected and scorned by the rest of the Wizarding World, hated by his students and cautioned to lay low by his lover.

The Light had won, the celebrating hordes made much of the Dark Lord's defeat, but personally Severus had lost everything he had ever valued, including a true and trusted friend in Lily Potter. Gods, he wondered why he had survived? Why he was alive and free while everyone else he knew was either dead or fled or living in denial? Albus had not promised him accolades, only that he would be Right... now, he wondered if the deal had been worth it.

He sighed again.

End

22/10/2006

This is the end of the beginning of what is turning out to be an epic series of novel length stories. There are a couple of people who really, really need to be acknowledged and thanked at this point.

Nathan; for his unstinting efforts to correct my woeful punctuation and his really good suggestions for clarifying points that always seem so clear to me.

Nise; for telling me in no uncertain terms when I am being a drama queen or a plain out prat.

Rachael; whose enthusiasm is catching and her encouragement makes me laugh, which is a good thing, especially when I am being one of the above.

Tarsie, who sings like an angel and whose stories provoke thought and reconsideration of assumptions.

Last of all to the guys at FictionAlley, is still the best fan site on the net bar none! We authors may bitch about them and complain about nit-picking but without their dedicated efforts we would all be sunk.

Thanks to the BeST Team, and ring-ins, for all your help. It has been a pleasure but look out, it's on again!